Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company invests over £10 million in Northampton Brewery 

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company invests over £10 million in Northampton Brewery 
Carlsberg Brewery Northampton Aerial View

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Companytoday (31) announced it is to invest more than £10m in upgrading equipment at its Northampton Brewery, further increasing capacity for producing its innovative Snap Pack packaging and reducing its water usage.

The investments will see three significant upgrades realised, with all three set to go live in Q1 next year; a second-generation machine for packaging cans in Snap Pack is being installed, alongside a new laser can encoder and an improved can filler and seamer.


First launched in 2018, Snap Pack uses innovative glue dot technology to hold cans together, removing the need for plastic rings and making multipacks more sustainable. Snap Pack was co-developed by Carlsberg Group and KHS GmbH, an international manufacturer of filling and packaging equipment. This ground-breaking technology has been used across some of the best-known and most popular beers in CMBC’s extensive portfolio, including Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, San Miguel, Birrificio Angelo Poretti and Brooklyn Pilsner.

By the end of 2022, Snap Pack was used for 65% of the four- and six-can multipacks produced at the brewery. The new second-generation Snap Pack machine will allow double the number of Snap Pack multipacks to be produced, with the company aiming to fully transition by the end of 2024. By eliminating plastic rings from packaging, once fully rolled out across four- and six-can multipacks it is estimated that Snap Pack will reduce CMBC’s plastic usage by up to 76%, compared to previous multipacks.

CDP Snap Pack Web 1

The replacement KHS can filler, which will be attached to a new seamer from Ferrum, and a Domino Laser Can Coder are also being installed, bringing a number of improvements across efficiency and safety. Combined, these new machines alone will see an estimated reduction of around 10% in water usage, around 18 million litres every year – equivalent to more than seven Olympic-size swimming pools or almost 32 million pints.

As part of CMBC’s Together Towards ZERO and Beyond ESG programme, the company has ambitious targets for making progress on a range of sustainability measures. These include halving its use of virgin fossil-based plastics by 2030 under the ZERO Packaging Waste ambition and achieving water usage efficiency of 2.0hl per hl of beer at every brewery by 2030 to achieve ZERO Water Waste. This investment will see CMBC make good progress against these targets, with further work set to take place across CMBC’s network in the coming years.

Paul Davies, CEO, CMBC, said: “We take our responsibility as a brewer very seriously and ensuring we reduce our impact on the planet is a hugely important part of this. This major investment of more than £10m in Northampton demonstrates our clear commitments to eliminating packaging waste, reducing water waste, and improving efficiency at our breweries.

“By taking ambitious action now, we can deliver on our sustainability goals and enable even more of our innovative Snap Pack multipacks to make their way to consumers.”

CMBC’s flagship Carlsberg brand has been working with WWF since 2021 to support projects and engage consumers in the UK on environmental and sustainability issues. Claudia Codsi, Director of Partnerships, WWF, said: “The food and drinks industry fundamentally depends on a healthy planet with a stable climate, so businesses across the sector should all be playing their part in accelerating the transition to a net zero economy that works in harmony with nature.

“We’re proud to be working with Carlsberg to bring environmental issues to life for UK beer drinkers and welcome these latest efforts from CMBC to reduce the footprint of their products and packaging.”

Edgar-George Petsche, Executive Vice President of Market Zone Europe/CIS at KHS, said: “Energy-efficient machinery and equipment as well as safe and environmentally friendly packaging solutions are central components of our KHS sustainability strategy. As a reliable partner of CMBC, we are proud to join forces on the path towards responsible climate protection.”

More for you

Cox & Co.

Cox & Co. hits sweet spot with new flavour

Luxury chocolate brand Cox & Co. is targeting dark chocolate lovers with its brand new Blood Orange Crunch bar, crafted from 60 per cent single-origin Colombian cacao.

With almost two-thirds of chocolate buyers enjoying two or more flavours in a chocolate bar, it’s easy to see why Cox & Co.’s flavour combinations of velvety rich dark chocolate and delicious superfoods are so popular and its latest addition to the range is sure to be no different.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gnaw ‘new-stalgia’: pud-themed Chocolate Spoons and flavoured choc bars

Gnaw ‘new-stalgia’: pud-themed Chocolate Spoons and flavoured choc bars

Tapping into “new-stalgia” (an anticipated hot food trend in 2025), Gnaw has been working tirelessly to rethink Great British puddings by creating a number of “Hug in a Mug” classics (Crème Brulée, Bakewell Tart, Sticky Toffee Pud) in conjunction with an impressive “pudfolio” of dessert-flavoured bars: New York Cheesecake, Christmas Pudding, Banoffee Pie and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Desserts may prove divisive. For many the last course will always be a fitting finale to a great meal spent with friends of family, enticing comfort food that offers a nostalgic peek into happy custard drenched, ice cream topped memories from yesteryear. For others, desserts are an unwitting dalliance with guilt-filled soft sponges, buttery pastry, seductively sweet fillings, crumbly toppings, sticky sauces …

Keep ReadingShow less
Nuisance Drinks

Nuisance Drinks expands range with new Damson & Dandelion tonic

Fresh on the heels of joining The Scottish Bee Company under a Natural Larder umbrella, adult soft drinks evangelist Nuisance Drinks is putting the final touches to a New Year launch of Damson & Dandelion tonic, which will become the latest addition to an exquisitely branded range of low-calorie botanical brews that include: Bramble & Rosemary, Nettle & Elderflower, Pink Grapefruit & Basil, Rhubarb & Ginger and Mint, Chilli and Cucumber.

Born at the height of the Pandemic back in 2020, Nuisance Drinks is an ambitious adult soft drinks business, initially born from the foraging exploits of entrepreneur Hugo Morrisey, who first set out to re-create his mother’s celebrated nettle cordial.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pizza Pie

Wall’s Pastry unveils Deep Dish Pizza Pie

Leading sausage roll brand Wall’s has introduced a brand-new format to the hot pie fixture with the launch of its Deep Dish Pizza Pies, as it aims to add variety and attract younger consumers and families to the chilled savoury pastry category.

The new range is a unique hybrid of a pie and a deep-dish pizza, available in two classic recipes: Three Cheese and Pepperoni (both 150g, RRP £2). Both are now available across the convenience channel, along with Asda.

Keep ReadingShow less
KP Snacks launches new look and feel for Penn State Pretzels

KP Snacks launches new look and feel for Penn State Pretzels

KP Snacks is refreshing the packaging of Penn State, the UK's number one Pretzel brand, to deliver a bolder and cleaner look that represents its taste and quality. Rolling into stores from mid-November, the redesigned packs run across the entire Penn State range.

With cosy nights-in on the rise, KP Snacks has dialled up Penn State’s taste and quality credentials to reinforce the brand’s appeal within this occasion. Promising rewarding flavour and satisfaction every time, Penn State pretzels offer consumers a well-deserved treat to snack on during relaxing evenings spent at home.

Keep ReadingShow less